1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for deflecting a surgical instrument inserted into an endoscope, and to a method of causing the distal end of the surgical instrument to bend or twist during a surgical procedure.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,906, incorporated by reference herein, discloses apparatus for deflecting a surgical instrument inserted into an endoscope, and a method of causing the surgical instrument to deflect during a surgical procedure, in which the surgical instrument is provided with a sheath made of a shape memory alloy having an austinitic transformation temperature no more than a few degrees above the normal temperature of the human body, and in which transformation to a desired shape is caused to occur by increasing the temperature of an irrigation fluid to just beyond the transformation temperature of the instrument.